Krocess oe bleachihgr ivoey



V U.PRATT; FRAME FOR BLEAGHING IVORY, &0.

Patented Jan. 6, 18,52.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ULYSSES PRATT, OF BEEP RIVER, CONNECTICUT.

PROCESS OF BLEACHING- IVORY.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 8,639, dated January 6, 1852; Antedated July 6, 1851.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ULYSSES PRATT, of Deep River, in the county of Middlesex and State of Connecticut, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Bleaching Ivory; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure l, is a perspective view of one of the frames. Fig. 2, is a longitudinal section of the same, represented as hanging under a sky-light. Fig. 3, exhibits a modification.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

The modes or methods of bleaching thin pieces of ivory, for veneering piano keys and other purposes, by placing the ivory upon.

trays, boards and other flat supports without pins or stops to raise them from the surface, and covering the same with glass in frames placed at various angles, and some times suspending the ivory by strings and loops or otherwise, in front of a common glass window, are objectionable, not. only on account of the slowness of the operation of bleaching but also on account of the imper- Now in.

feet character of thebleaching. order to remove these evils and to expedite the operation of bleaching, and to render it i more perfect, I have invented a new mode of presenting the ivory to the rays of the sun which accomplishes the desired objects and is described as follows.

A is a frame of wood or other suitable material of a suitable width to hang between the muntins or stiles of the sash of a skylight, and of any suitable length, divided lengthwise into two compartments, (but may be divided into any other number required) each compartment being bounded by a rib g, a row of studs a, a, a, of wood, metal, ivory, or other suitable material is provided on each side of each compartment of the frame to stand but a small distance above the surface of the frame and at convenient distances apart according to the width of the ivory; when the pieces to be bleached have parallel edges the studs on each side of a compartment should be opposite to each other.

B, B, represent strips of ivory to be bleached; they are first moistened or otherlight which may be set at any desired inclination.

6 is the glass.

0, is a small bar of wood or metal secured under the lower part of the frame.

d, is a button.

The frame A may be. placed in the position shown at Fig. 2, its lower end supported by the bar 0, and its upper end by the button d, or its upper end may be supported at different elevations by a cord 6, in which there are several loops in one of which the screw 7, atthe top of the frame rests, the lower end being still supported by the bar 0, (see red lines in Fig. 2).

By altering the elevation of the upper end of the frame A, it may be set at various inclinations according to the direction of the suns rays; the strips of ivory may be sup: ported on this frame in any position between a vertical and horizontal line without slipping out of place.

The modification shown in Fig. 3, consists in substituting a notch-ed plate for the studs 0, a, a.

I do not claim the bleaching of ivory upon a frame exposed to the rays of the sun passing through glass placed above the same, but

What I do claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- The improvement in the process of bl-each ing ivory as set forth in the specification; that is to say, the raising up of one edge of the piece of ivory above the plane of the frame which supports it, and sustaining it in its place, in the manner described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name before two subscribing witnesses.

ULYSSES PRATT Witnesses:

GEO. STEAD, HENRY WOOSTER. 

